peace the common and equall distribution of Iustice the familiar cherishing of Nobilitie the good preseruing and loue of the Commonaltie the mutuall and tender kindnes at home the amitie and awe abroade the swéete enioying of all these happie commodities match héerewith the danger and feare of loosing them how can it then be but that the minde shalbe meruailouslie distracted Great and full of diuersities are the fittes of a passioned Louer but yet greatest where reason rulest least Farre greater to a good minde must be the panges of consideration in this case but yet greatest where reason ruleth most The sillie Louer is transported as they complaine poore soules in their ditties sometime with ioy of his enioying sometime with feare of his foregoing there is no meane or order of his excessiue affection and all is because the abused creature hath set his felicity in a wrong conceite But if such vaine short repentable and féeble delight of fancie haue such force vpon the minde of man howe much more ought the déepe wise naturall and true impression of the eternall comfort of the soule the good and safe estate both of the common weale and of the priuate hauiour of himselfe and of those thinges and persons that he holdeth dearest yea and of his posteritie for euer worke more mighty violent continuall effects in the mind of an honest good man that setteth his thoughtes vpon iust and assured groundes All these contemplations cannot but fill a good Christians and a good Subiects eie with sight and knowledge how vnestimable a treasure our noble and vertuous Quéene Elizabeth is to the Realme of England and the same cannot but pierce his heart with strong feare care for her preseruation so farre as surely it were able as in the dumbe borne sonne of Cresus breake the stringes of a tyed tongue to drawe spéeche out of the most barbarous and rudest Subiect to crie out at her Highnesse peryll and with such noyse as he is able to make though it were but as a Goose of the Capitole to giue warning to the watchmen of the Tower of our safetie This hath mooued me to forget how vnskylfull and how vnapt I am to treate of matters so farre aboue me and only to remember how méet it is for all men to thinke of those things that touch them so néerely when they haue from point to point made due examination of them to ring out the larum bell of good councell to their Country or giue them some watch-word of passed perils wherby they may the better preuent imminent extremities wherein they may both manifest the care they haue of theyr Princes safetie as also the vnfeined affection they beare to theyr Countrie It hath béene and yet remayneth extant to be séene the many and sundrie disordered attemptes which haue threatned daunger to her Maiesties most royall person and perill to the whole state ingenerall whereby many good mindes haue béene greatlie discomforted and those bad spirites which haue thirsted and laboured in these vnduetifull actions haue béene encouraged to runne on in their disloyall determinations A thing much to be lamented that in the Sun-shine of so many happy blessinges whereof this Realme so long time together neuer héeretofore tasted such wicked and malitious natures should bréede amongst vs both to ouerthrowe our selues and the quietnesse of a number well affected It is good for such wilfull heads to take héede in time and that the ouerthrowe of such seditious practises wherewith this Realme from time to time hath béen too much troubled may remaine for a warning to them and in middest of their secret confederacies to remember this that to exalt their hearts against Gods annointed is the verie ready way to bring themselues to confusion The onely roote and originall of such vnnaturall humours in men is Treason which of all other things is most odious in the sight of God and amongst men hath least prosperous successe for proofe whereof and because this Watch-word may the more déepelie enter the thoughts and cogitations of them to whose handes it shall happen it shall not be much amisse for mée to make repetition of former tretcherous practises and withall to declare their end and successe which happilie may cause some men to alter their bad affections and séeing the accidentes that hath héeretofore chaunced in their owne Countrie they may forsake those contrarie natures whereby they are gouerned and so in time shew themselues more vehement in duetie In the raigne of King Richard the first THere was one William Fitz Osbert a Cittizen of London a man but of poore and meane degrée yet endued with a quicke witte and an eloquent tongue as many of these secrete perswaders are he perswaded the people to séeke liberty and fréedome and so prouided himselfe of two and fiftie thousand Londoners to rise against the King And to maintaine his traiterous enterprise he tooke the Stéeple of Bowe Church in Chepe and fortified it with Munition and victualles but in the end the Church was assaulted by the Cittizens and William with his Complices were taken and so brought to the Archbishoppe in the Tower where he was condemned by the héeles drawne from thence to a place called the Elmes where he was hanged with nine of his fellowes In the raigne of King Henry the thirde KIng Henrie the third lying at UUoodstocke a Scholler of Oxforde fayning himselfe mad enterprised to haue slaine the King in his Chamber but he was taken and after long imprisonment was torne in péeces with horsses at Couentrie In the raigne of King Edward the second THere was one Iohn Poydras a Tanners sonne of Excester who in diuers places of England named himselfe the Sonne of King Edward the first and saide that by a false Nurse he was stollen foorth of his Cradle and Edward that then was King put in his place but shortly after he was conuict of his vntrueth when he confessed that he did it by the motion of a familiar spirite which he had in his house in the likenesse of a Catte whome he had serued for thrée yéeres as all Traitours els forget God and serue the deuill but for this his seruice he was not long after hanged at North-hampton Edward de Bruis the King of Scottes Brother who for the space of thrée yéeres had assaulted Ireland and vniustly vsurping the King of Englands title crowned himself King thereof was at length taken by the King of Englands subiectes and was beheaded at Dundalke The Towne of Bervvicke was betrayed to the Scots through the Treason of Peter Spalding and other English men whome the King of Scottes in reward of their tretcherie caused to be hanged for being Traitours to their owne Countrie Thomas Earle of Lancaster hauing prouided himselfe of a great number of his confederacie rebelled against King Edward the second wherevppon the King pursued the Rebelles and at Borowbridge the saide Earle of Lancaster with
shortlie after Ashbie was executed for the supremacie In the raigne of the noble Prince King Edward the sixt IN the month of Maie by meanes of a Proclamation for enclosures the commons of Sommersetshiere and 〈…〉 made a commotion but Sir Willam Herberd slew and executed many of the rebelles Also the commons of Cornewall and Deuonshiere rose against the Noblemen and Gentlemen and besieged the Cittie of Excester which was valiantlie defended Against these Rebelles was sent Iohn Lord Russell Lord priuie Seale with a number of Soldiours who entred the Cittie of Excester the fift day of August where they slewe and tooke prisoners of the Rebelles more then foure thousand and after hanged diuerse of them in the Town and Countrie about Diuers persons were apprehended as aiders of the foresaid Rebels of the which one was hanged within Algate and an other at the Bridge foote toward Southwarke both on Marie Magdalens day The Rebelles in Norfolke and Suffolke encamped them selues at Mount Surrey in a wood called Saint Nicholas Wood néere vnto Norvvich against whome Sir Iohn Dudley Earle of VVarvvicke went with an Armie where both he and a great number of Gentlemen méeting with the Rebelles were in such daunger as they thought all to haue died in that place But God that confoundeth the purpose of Rebelles brought it so to passe that as well there as in all other places they were partlie by power constrained partlie by promise of their pardon perswaded to submit themselues to their Prince The Earle of Warvvicke entred the Cittie of Norwich the seuen and twentie day of August when he had slaine aboue fiue thousand of the Rebelles and taken their chéefe Captaine Robert Ket of VVindham Tanner who might dispend in landes fiftie poundes by yéere and was woorth in mooueables aboue a thousand Markes and when he had put to execution diuers of the Rebelles in sundrie places about Norwich he returned About this time also a commotion began at Semer in the North-riding of Yorkeshiere and continued in the East-riding there ended the principall raisers whereof were William Ombler of East-hesterton Yeoman Thomas Dale parish Clarke of Semer and Steuenson of Semer. They being preuented by the Lord President from rising at Wintringham they drewe to a place at Semer by the Sea coast and there by night rode to the Beacon at Staxton and set it on fire and so gathered together a rude route Then they went to Maister Whites house and tooke him and Clopton his wiues brother Sauadge a merchant of Yorke and Berie seruaunt to Sir Walter Mildmay which foure they murdered a mile from Semer and there left them naked their number increasing to thrée thousand On the one and twentie day of August the Kinges pardon was offered which Ombler and other refused who were shortlie after taken and brought to Yorke where Thomas Dale and other were executed the one and twentie of September The seuen and twentie day of Ianuarie Humfrey A rundell Esquier Thomas Holmes Winslowe and Berie Captaines of the Rebelles in Deuonshiere were hanged and quartered at Tiborne The tenth of Februarie one Bell a Suffolke man was hanged and quartered at Tiborne for moouing a new rebellion in Suffolke and Essex Richard Lion Goddard Gorran and Richard Ireland were executed the fouretéenth day of Maie for attempting a new rebellion in Kent In the raigne of Queene Marie WIlliam Constable alias Fetherstone who caused Letters to be cast abroad that King Edward was aliue and to some he had shewed himselfe to be King Edward was arraigned at the Guild Hall of London hauing béene once before whipped for the same behauiour and deliuered but now he was condemned and the thirtéenth daye of March he was drawne hanged and quartered at Tiborne One Clober who sometime kept a Schoole at Dys in Norfolke with thrée brethren whose names were Lincoln made a conspiracie and being driuen to flight one Maister Shirman pursued and tooke him at a Towne called Eye in Suffolke where he was kept in prison till the next Sessions at Saint Edmundsburie whether his thrée mates being brought to him they were altogether drawne hanged and quartered Quéene Marie deceassing Elizabeth our most gratious and soueraigne Ladie second Daughter to the noble and victorious Prince King Henrie the eight to the great comfort of England enioyed her lawfull right and iust title being proclaimed Quéene of England Fraunce and Ireland defender of the Faith c. Now ceased the time of greuous vexation both in soule and body and the swéete comfort that euerie godlie minde desired did shewe it selfe shining in glorie and maiestie the greater cause haue we therefore to loue and honour that gratious Ladie who brought with her such aboundaunce of happines as neither tongue can woorthelie expresse it nor any pen sufficientlie set it downe Thankes be to God who preserued her Grace so woonderfullie in the time of many threatned troubles and daungers which by his prouidence she happilie escaped to our no small ioye and perfect consolation which troublesome time of her Graces suffering I haue héerto annexed according as it is set downe by that woorthy man Maister Iohn Fox in his Actes and Monuments the remembrance whereof may whet vs to be more duetifull vnto her then a number are and reioyce in God for our deliueraunce by her admirable patience ¶ The myraculous preseruation of Lady Elizabeth now our most dread and grations Queene of England from extreme calamitie and daunger of life in the time of Queene Marie her Sister BUt when all hath béene saide and told what soeuer can be recited touching the admirable working of Gods present hand in defending and deliuering any one person out of thraldome neuer was there since the memorie of our Fathers any example to be shewed wherein the Lordes mightie power hath more admirablie and blessedly shewen it selfe to the glorie of his owne name to the comfort of all good hearts and to the publique felicitie of this whole Realme then in the miraculous custodie and outscape of this our soueraigne Ladie now Quéene then Ladie Elizabeth in the straite time of Quéene Marie her Sister In which storie we haue first to consider in what extreme miserie sicknesse feare and perill her Highnesse was into what care what trouble of minde and what daunger of death she was brought First with great routes bands of Armed men and happy was he that might haue the carrying of her being fetcht vp as the greatest traitour in the world clapt in the Tower and againe tossed from thence from house to house from prison to prison from post to piller at length also prisoner in her owne house and garded with a sort of cutthroates which euer gaped for the spoile whereby they might be fingering on somewhat Secondlie to consider againe we haue all this notwithstanding how strangely or rather miraculouslie from daūger she was deliuered what fauour and grace she
executed 1551. A Millers sonne fayning himselfe to be King Edward executed 1556. Foure Rebelles executed at Saint Edmundsburie 1557. The blessed protection of almighty God in preseruing the Lady Elizabeth in her manifold daungers and troubles The troubles of Lady Elizabeth in Queene Maries tyme. The historie of Lady Elizabeth Sir Richard Southwell Sir Edward Hastinges and Sir Thomas Cornwalles sent to fetch vp Lady Elizabeth The vnmannerlinesse of the Knights A straite Commission from the Queen to bring the Lady Elizabeth either quick or dead The gentlenesse of Queene Marie to send her horse Lytter to bring her Sister to trouble Lady Elizabeth taketh her iourney toward the Queene Lady Elizabeth brought vp to London Sir William Sentlowe cōmitted to the Tower Lady Elizabeth charged with Sir Thomas Wiats conspiracie Lady Elizabeth charged with the busines of Sir Peter Carew Lady Elizabeth threatned to goe to the Tower Lady Elizabeth purgeth her selfe to the Lordes Lady Elizabeths seruaunts remooued from her The Queenes men and women attendaunt vppon the Lady Elizabeth The hard dealing of a certaine Lord with the Lady Elizabeth The Earle of Sussex gentle to the Lady Elizabeth Lady Elizabeth writeth to the Queene but it would not serue Lady Elizabeth sent to the Tower The wordes of Lady Elizabeth entring the Tower The christian prayer of Lady Elizabeth The Lord of Sussex speaketh for Lady Elizabeth The Bishop of Winchester enimie to Lady Elizabeth Lady Elizabeth examined by the Bishop of Winchester The freendlie speech of the Earle of Arundel to Lady Elizabeth Sir Iames Acroft examined touching the Lady Elizabeth These were not the Officers of the Tower but such as went in white greene Lady Elizabeths seruaunts restrained from bringing her diet to the Tower Displeasure betweene the Lord Chamberlaine and the Lady Elizabeths men Lady Elizabeths wayting men in the Tower Variaunce betweene the Lord Chamberlaine Lady Elizabeths seruaunts Lady Elizabeth denied the lybertie of the Tower Lybertie graunted to Lady Elizabeth to walke in a garden Suspicious heads A young childe examined for bringing flowers to Lady Elizabeth The Constable of the Tower discharged of his Office and Sir Henrie Benifield with his cōpany placed about the Lady Elizabeth Lady Elizabeth both in great feare and doubt of her lyfe Lady Elizabeth in doubt of Sir Henry Benifield Lady Elizabeths prayer Lady Elizabeth remooueth from the Tower to Woodstocke Lady Elizabeth secluded from her seruaunts Lady Elizabeth in dispayre of her selfe Lady Elizabeths Vsher talketh with the Lord of Tame The gentle heart of the Lord of Tame to Lady Elizabeth Tanquam ouis Like a sheepe to to the slaughter Lady Elizabeth honourablie receiued and beloued of the people The gentle entertainement of Lady Elizabeth at the Lord of Tames house Sir Henrie Benifield grudged at the gentle entertainement of Lady Elizabeth The rude and vngentle behauiour of Sir Henrie Benifield Lady Elizabeth commeth to Woodstocke The strait watch kept at Woodstocke A merie storie concerning the straite keeping of the Lady Elizabeth The straitnesse of Sir Henrie Benifield merily noted Lady Elizabeth with much adoo suffered to write to the Queene The cruell dealing of Sir Henrie Benifield to the Lady Elizabeth reproued The Letters of Lady Elizabeth carried to the Queene Doctor Owen Doctor Wendie Queene Maries Phisitions sent to Lady Elizabeth The popish Prelates repined against the Lady Elizabeth Lady Elizabeth requested to submit her selfe to the Queene Councell of the Papists to marie the Lady Elizabeth to a Spaniard Wicked councell giuen against Lady Elizabeth Spaniardes more fauourable to Lady Elizabeth then some English men Lady Elizabeth in daunger of fyre Lady Elizabeth in daunger of kylling An other conspiracie of murder against Lady Elizabeth Lady Elizabeth preserued by the Lordes prouidence from execution in the Tower Winchesters platforme ouerthrowne Verses written by Lady Elizabeth in the glasse windowe Lady Elizabeth not suffered to come to the Lord of Tames house Lady Elizabeth wisheth her selfe to be a Milke maide The Lord William Haward gentle and fauourable to Lady Elizabeth Lady Elizabeth requested by Winchester to submit her selfe to the Queenes mercie Lady Elizabeth standeth to be tryed by the lawe Talke againe betweene Winchester and Lady Elizabeth Lady Elizabeth denieth to confesse any fault doone to the Queene Lady Elizabeth sent for to the Queene Lady Elizabeth brought to the Queenes bed Chamber Talke betweene the Queene and Lady Elizabeth Small comfort at the Queens hand toward her Sister King Phillip thought to be a freend to Lady Elizabeth Lady Elizabeth by Gods prouidence set at lybertie Sir Henrie Benifield discharged Mistresse Ashley sent to the Fleet. Three gentlewomen of Lady Elizabeths sent to the Tower Note the wonderfull working of the Lordes prouidence in sauing of Lady Elizabeth Lady Elizabeth delyuered by the death of Stephen Gardiner How the Lord heere beganne to worke for Lady Elizabeth Lady Elizabeth proclaymed Queene the same day that Queene Marie died The Lord make England thankefull to him for his great benefites Consideration of the hardnesse of the time then and the cruell dealing against Lady Elizabeth Consideration of the wonderfull patience of Lady Elizabeth Consideration of the present helpe of God at all times to Lady Elizabeth Rebelles executed at Durham 1570. Rebelles executed at Yorke Rebelles executed at Berwicke The Nortons executed Conspiracie in Norfolke Iohn Felton executed in Paules Churchyard in London 1571. Doctour Storie executed at Tyborne 1572. Kenelme Barney Edward Mather and Henry Rolfe executed for treason The Duke of Norfolke condemned for high treason and beheaded on the Tower hyll The Earle of Northumberland beheaded at Yorke for high treason Iohn Hall and Oswald Wilkinson executed 1573. Thomas Woodhouse executed 1574. Cuthbert Mayne executed 1577. Iohn Nelson executed Thomas Sherwood executed 1578. William Lacie Kirkman executed at Yorke Euerard Haunse executed Edmund Campion Ralphe Sherwin and Alexander Briant executed 1581. Thomas Foord Iohn Shert and Robert Iohnson executed Luke Kirbie William Filbie Thomas Cottā and Lauraunce Richardson 1582. Iohn Slade and Iohn Body executed Edward Arden executed in Smithfield 1583. William Carter executed Haddock Fenne Hemerfoord Nutter and Mūden executed Frances Throckmorton executed 1584. God sharply scourgeth al traitours who practise any euyll against their Prince England hath beene greatly endaungered by traiterous practises The cause of an euyll cut off the effect can take no place No greater enimies to the safetie of England then Papists The common speech of Traytours at theyr death It is the duety of euerie good subiect to haue a speciall care of the safety of his Prince The first conclusion of such as hold al the Popes doctrine to be true The second conclusion of such as expect theyr Golden day The third conclusion of such as would ouerthrow theys Countrey for theyr Idolatrous Religion The fourth conclusion of such as can not be wun to loue her Maiestie The fift conclusion of the property of papistry The sixt conclusion of such Papistes as